Turn Monetary Gifts Into Teachable Moments Children and teenagers who received monetary gifts for the holidays are often excited to choose what to buy. While they should be allowed to spend some of the money or gift cards, as a parent, you could also use these windfall gains as an opportunity to teach and practice important personal finance lessons. Here are a few ideas to start with, although you can alter the message or subject matter to match your child’s experience and ability to understand the topic.